Drilling head



April 6, 1937.

G. A. HUMASON DRILLING HEAD Filed sept. 12, 1933 s sheets-sheet 1 April6, 1937- G. A. HUMAsoN 2,075,899

DRILLING HEAD Filed Sept. l2, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 www April 6, 1937.G. A. HUMAsoN DRILLING HEAD Filed sept. 12, 195s,

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lPatented Apr. 6, 1937` l UNITED STATES Pn'rala'rA ori-ica y 2,075,899immuno Hun Granville A. Humaaon, Houston, Tex. Appumon sepfemter iz,193s, serial N. saam 7Claims.

The invention relates to an improvement in drilling heads to be used inthe drilling and operation of wells.

drill stem so that complete control of the well Various devices, such asblowout preventers, retractors, and similar equipment have been devisedto be used in and around the well head.

the well pressure.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide in a well head asleeve adapted to slidorder to maintain a seal. Another object of theinvention is to provide the drilling operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a well head assemblywherein a seal is provided about the drill pipe and the circulatingreturns are taken oif at an elevation below the sealing assembly.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a well head sealingassembly which may be used as a section of drill pipe during thedrilling operation and retained in the well as a section of the .tubingin order to provide a seal at the well head.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in combinationwith a drilling head a sealing holder which can be disposed about thedrill pipe while the drill pipe is being inserted or removed from thewell.

Another object of the invention is to provide a control assembly forwell heads which embody a sealing arrangement for the drill pipe, asupport for the sealing assembly, and a closure head around the drillpipe when the sealing assembly is removed during the manipulation of thedrill pipe.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a seal about the drillpipe in order to permit the accumulation of pressure in the wellcasingin order to reverse drilling operation,

the circulation during the (Cl. Z55-1) Avstill further object of theinvention is to provide a closure and sealing assembly for use witheither the drill stem or the tubing in wells.-

.Otherand further objects oi' the invention will be readilyapparent-when thev following descrip- 5 tion is considered in connectionwith the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 isa side elevation withcertain parts shown in section and illustrating the general ar-`rangement and constructionof the drilling head 10 and its associatedparts.

Fig. 2 is a continuation o1' Fig. 1 showing the termination of thesurface casing and the lower end ol' the drill stem and drill bit.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, with certain parts 15 shown in section, oi aslightly modied form of the invention.

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are sections taken on the lines 4 5 and 6 6,respectively. of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 shows the side view of the sealing assem- 20 bly in use with astring of tubing and anchored in position in the well head.

Fig. 8 shows a view of a closure head which may be used in combinationwith the device when the drill stem or tubing is being run -in or with-25 drawn against pressure.

In Fig. 1 the usual well casing is illustrated at 2 and is known assurface casing. terminates as seen in Fig. 2 usuallyY several hundred`feet below the surface in order to serve as a suitable anchor for thewell head assembly. In the present invention a connection 3 is coupledto the upper end of the surface casing and supports an enlarged pipe 4which in turn car ries the casing head 5. 35

'Ihe pipe 4 is of suili'cient length to'accommodate what may be termed aworking barrel or sleeve 6, which is shown as supported by the hanger 'lin the casing head. This working barrel or sleeve 6` is of a size toreceive the packing 40 or sealing assembly 8, which is rotatably andslidably disposed in the Working barrel and forms a part of the drill-pipe or drill stem. The pipe 4 is preferably thirty or forty feet inlength sol that the sleeve 6 will be long enough to receive 45 thepacking assembly 8 at all times during the drilling operation while theKelly joint or drill stem 9 is being lowered. With the present equipmentthe Kelly joint 9 is about thirty feet in length and it is possible todrill the length of this 50 stem before coupling in another section ofdrill pipe such as I0.

It is to be understood that during the drilling operation the Kellyjoint 9 and drill stem l0 will be rotated to cause rotation of the bitIl and 55 that during this rotation mud is circulated through thepassage I2 in the Kelly and drill stem so that it is discharged from theopenings I4 in the drill bit and is circulated upwardly l through thewell bore should be noted that there is an annular chambery or openingI5 between the pipe 4 and the sleeve i so that circulation may passupwardly and escape from the discharge openings or out- 10 lets I1. Thevalve I8 is shown on the outlet in order to prevent the escape of fluidfrom this outlet if desired. An additional .well casing 28 has beenshown as suspended Yin the coupling 3 by means of the hanger 2l. This isnecessary in 15 some localities where a water formation or other stratamust be cased off. This casing may or may not be in position in some:wells which are equipped with the present invention..

I7*"he hanger 2l has openings such as 22 therein 3 so thatit may beengaged by a setting tool and seated in position. This lugs 23 whichmove into recesses in the coupling 3 in the nature of a bayonet joint orbreach lock so that the hanger 2l will be securely latched in position.

The working barrel or sleeve 6 is suspended by the hanger 1 in a mannersimilar to that just described in connection with the hanger 2|. The solower end of the sleeve is centered and maintained in position by aspider 25..'y

The sealing assembly 8 comprises a mandrel n' or stem 38 which is soarranged that it will support the packing member 3l4 which is held inposition by the retaining ring 32. It should be noted that this packing3| is downwardly facing and provides a recess at 33 to receive thepressure accumulating in the well so that the packing will be movedagainst the inside of the working barrel to form a seal. A secondpacking 34 has .been provided to improve the sealing action obtainable.An extension or head 35 is connected to the mandrel 38 and this headcarries an upwardly facing packing 36 to assist in the sealing actionobtainable. A set of rollers or bearings 31 are provided in this head inorder that the friction of the sealing assembly against the workingbarrel will be reduced. This bearing is best seen in Fig. where therollers 38 are shown as being carried o by the band or ring 38 andsupported thereby in rotative position so that they can rotate on thesurface 40 ofthe head 35. The assembly 8 is shown as connected to theKelly joint by means of the nipple 42 which is 5 of less diameter thaneither the Kelly or the packing assembly. This nipple is provided inorder to permit the movement of the gate members 43 which are carried bythe casing head 5.

`The gate members 43 ably mountedin a recess 44 in the bonnet 45. Eachgate is provided with a handle 48 which projects from the pocket so thatthe gate may be moved manually. A fluid pressure connection 41 isprovided, however, so that the gatesmay be 65 closed automatically byadmitting pressure to the recess 44. An escape valve 48 is shown torelease the pressure behind the gates so that they may be retracted.

With the construction just described it seems 70 readily apparent thatif, during the drilling operation, with the gates retracted, anyconsiderable pressure is encountered, the sealing assembly will berotating within the working barrel 5 and will serve to form a completeseal against 75 the escape of fluid` around the drill stem, Clos- I5 andinto the pipe 4. It-

are shown as each sliding of the valve I8 serves to cut on the escape ofdrilling fluid, leaving only the passage I2 through the drill stem bywhich the pressure lcan escape. It is not unusual to have a backpressure valve in the drill stem which would automatically cut oi! anyescape of pressure in this direction, or if the pressure occurs duringthe drilling operation the swivel and pumps are connected to the drillstem and will prevent the escape of pressure. If the driller believesthat the blowout is imminent it is only necessary for him to turn thepressure into the pipe 41 so that the gates will be moved to closedposition and to raise the drill stem so that the gates can move inwardlyagainst the nipple 42.

The upper packing 35 will then abut against the gates 43 and cushion theupward movement of the dr 'I stem as well as to assist in forming a seala/ ut the gates should any pressure escape around the head 5 andaccumulate in the casing head. `It seems obvious that the closing of thewell can be accomplished almost instantly because where the blowoutusually occurs first is around the drill stem and this area isconstantly closed during the entire drilling operation. The rotary table5I) is shown in Fig. 1 and the'drive bushing 5I therein engages with thenon-circular Kelly joint 9 to cause rotation of the drill stem as iswell understood in the drilling art.

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of the invention wherein the pipe 4 hasbeen disposed of and the outlets I1 have been curved to the verticalposition illustrated so that they are coupled directly to a modifiedform of coupling 3 which is illustrated at 3'. -This coupling is in theform of a swaged nipple which is arranged to have the pipes I1 connectedat each side as at 52. This form of the invention may be desirable insome localities while the pipe 4 may be more desirable under othercircumstances.

Another modification in the Fig. 3 construction is in the casing head 5because in this form the working barrel or sleeve 8 may be directlyconnected to the casing head which is illustrated at 5 and as having theworking barrel connected thereto as at 53. The gates and other portionsof this figure are substantially the same as those previously described.

During the drilling operation, as is well understood,`the drill stemmust be inserted and removed from the well in order to replace the bit.When the Kelly joint v9 is removed and the packing assembly raised abovethe elevation of the sleeve 5 it has beeny found desirable to have somesort of closure about the drill stem if pressure is present in the well.With this in mind the closure head 50 has been provided and isconstructed as best seen in Fig. 8. This head includes a suitableconstruction. which may be dropped into position in the casing head 5and is provided with recesses 6I to receive the ends of the gates 43,which serve to lock the closure head in position -the same as they wouldthe sealing assembly. This closure head is provided with an expansiblepacking or sealing element 62 which is adapted to be expanded by havinguid under pressure injected into the opening 64 therein. A pipe lineconnection 65 is shown as furnishing such fluid. The packing 62 is ofsuch a resilient material that it will permit the passage of a drillpipe coupling or tool joint such as 66.

The hanger head 1 ls shown as retained in position and supporting theworking barrel 5 the same as in the Fig. 1 form of the invention. Of

course, when the drill stem has been lowered into the well again and thesealing assembly and Kelly joint are ready for connection to the uppersection I of the drill pipe, then the closure head 60 will be removedand the sealing assembly lowered into the working barrel 6. The reverseoperation is performed when the drill stem is to be removed. Thisarrangement permits the closing of the area around the drill pipe duringthe entire operation except when the parts are being shifted ashereinbefore described.

After the drilling of the well has been completed it is often desirableto maintain a seal about the tubing in the well and, with this in Yview, Fig. 7 illustrates an arrangement whereby the sealing assembly 8is utilized as a section of the string of tubing 10. The tubing is shownin the lower part of Fig. 7 as extending downwardly into the wellandcoupled to the lower end of the sealing assembly. The upper end ofthe sealing assembly has a nipple 1I connected thereto which serves tosuspend the string of, tubing and sealing assembly from the tubinghanger 12. This tubing hanger Amay be of any desired construction but ispreferably provided with recesses 13\to receive the ends of the gates 43to lock the hanger in position. The Christmas tree assembly 15 is shownas connected to the top of the hanger l2 and thus forms a continuationof the tubing. With this .arrangement the hanger 12 need not necessarilyform a seal .with the casing because of the fact that the hanger head 1supporting the working barrel 6' forms a seal with the casing head.

It should be noted that a particular type of packing element 80 has beenprovided in connection with the hanger heads. This packing comprises alip type of packing having a recess 8| therein and a connecting web 82on the opposite side thereof which web is arranged to be inserted in ananular groove in the supporting structure. The outer lip 83 of thepacking projects beyond the normal periphery of the head 12 so that anyuid ilowing along the periphery of the head will enter the recess 8|`and cause expansion of the packing to increase the sealing effect.

The present invention is useful to completely close the well head duringthe drilling operation and is also of advantage in obtaining coresduring the drilling wherein it is desirable to reverse the circulationof the iiuid in the well. 'Ihat is, the fluid will be introduced throughthe pipe l1 and pumped downwardly around the drill stem and upwardlythrough the drill stem passage I2. 'I'his operation is desirable in someinstances to pump a core to the surface. The sealing assembly 8 is ofadvantage during this operation because it maintains a seal about thedrill pipel so that suflicient pressure may accumulate in the chamber I6toforce the fluid downwardly through the well bore and upwardly throughthe drill pipe.

While two forms of the principal invention have been shown andcombination elements for use with the main invention have also beenillustrated, it is contemplated broadly that the invention will providedevices which can be used together in completely controlling the areaaround the drill pipe or tubingi What is claimed is:

1. A drilling control head comprising a casing, a casing head thereon, aworking barrel carried by said head, a sealing assembly forming a partof the drill stem and disposed in said working 'l barrel and adapted toform a seal with said barrel during the drilling operation, and meansalso on said casing head to hold said sealing assembly against removal,said means including transversely movable gate members.v

2. A well control head assembly comprising a casing head, a sleevetherein, anda drill stem and sealing assembly engaging said sleeveduring the drilling operation to form a seal. a removable. hanger headfor said sleeve disposed in said casing head. and stop means alsocarried by said casing' head to project inwardly over said sleeve to beengaged by said sealing assembly.

3. A sealing assembly for well heads including a body, a plurality ofsealing members thereon, a sleeve to receive said assembly, and means-toposition said assembly and sleeve in the well head during either thedrilling or the tubing of the well, comprising a hanger on the upper endof said sleeve, and latching means between said hanger and the well headand assembly so that well pressure cannot remove the assembly or sleeve.i

4. A well head assembly including an enlarged casing positioned on thewell surface casing and of a length at least equal to a joint of drillpipe. a casing hanger at the lower end of said enlarged casing, a casinghead on said enlarged casing, a sleeve suspended by said casing head anda drill stem sealing assembly positioned in said sleeve and on the drillstem to seal around the drill stem during the drilling operation.

5. A well head assembly including an enlarged i casing, positioned onthe well surface casing and of a length at least equal to a joint ofdrill pipe, a casing hanger at thelower end of said enlarged casing, acasing head on said enlarged casing, a sleeve in said enlarged casing, adrill stem sealing assembly positioned in said sleeve and on the drillstem to seal around the drill stern during the drilling operation, andstop means on said casing head to prevent upward removal of the sealingassembly whereby the well will be sealed 4in during drilling.

6. A well head comprising a casing, a casing head thereon, a taperedbowl in said casing head, a sleeve suspendedin said bowl, a string ofpipe also suspended from said bowl, and a sealing assembly ilxed on thepipe and positioned in said sleeve.

'7. A well head comprising a casing, a casing head thereon, a taperedbowl in said casing head, a sleeve suspended in said bowl, a string ofpipe also suspended from said bowl, a sealing assembly fixed on the pipeand positioned in said sleeve, and interengaging locking means on saidsleeve and pipe and said casing head.

GRANVILLE A. HUMASON.

